Refrigerating apparatus



Nov. 25, 1958 R. E. MOORE EI'AL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1957 INVENI'OR ROBERT E. MOORE WAYNE A. GIDDINGS WALTER G. BARNARD BY Jaw aim/4.

ATTORNEY Nov. 25, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,861,434

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Nov. 25, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,861,434

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WWII! 7 mm mum INVENTOR N ROBERT E. MOORE WAYNE A. smomes WALTER c. BARNARD ATTORNEY Nov. 25, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 8, 1957 INVENTOR ROBERT E. MOORE WAYNE A. GIDDINGS WALTER O. BARNARD 1 1 "Iillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll on NN ATTORNEY Nov. 25 1958 R. E. MOORE El AL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 8, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ROBERT E. MOORE C- WAYNE A. GIDDINGS 3 1 WALTER c. BARNARD ATTORNEY United States Patent i REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Robert E. Moore, Whittier, Calif., and Wayne A. Giddings, Cedar Rapids, and Walter C. Barnard, Belle Plains. Iowa, assignors to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amana, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application March 8, 1957, Serial No. 644,922

3 Claims. (Cl. 62-455) This invention in general relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly is an improved structure in the field of built-in freezers and refrigerators.

In recent years there has been a great increase in the number of new residential dwellings. Closely allied with this increase in new homes has been the trend to furnish the kitchen as well as other rooms in the dwelling with many types of appliances and conveniences commonly referred to as built-in units. In addition to the convenience and usefulness of these built-in units, they are also desirable because they can be included as a part of the cost of the domestic dwelling.

Refrigerators and freezers are two of the units being installed in homes as they are being constructed. There are many problems which arise when building in a freezer or refrigerator which are not encountered when other kitchen appliances are built-in, such as stoves, or ovens. When a freezer or refrigerator is mounted flush in a wail with only the front exposed, it is still necessary to provide a means for extracting the heat from the food within the unit and transferring it to the exterior. With any conventional refrigerating unit, heat is extracted from the food within and discharged to the ambient air in the room in which the unit is located. To accomplish this with built-in units it has been customary in the prior art to mount the cabinet in which the food is stored in one location and to mount the compressor, condenser, and air circulation device exterior the cabinet and remote therefrom. The cabinet containing the evaporator, and these other components commonly called the machine compartment, are connected by conventional tubing and capillaries and the heat extracted from the cabinet is transferred to the condenser which in turn discharges the heat to the room ambient air. While this was a solution to the problem of extracting the heat from the food within the cabinet it complicated the installation of the unit and almost always required the services of an experienced refrigeration man to make a satisfactory installation. The cabinet would be mounted in one wall recess and an additional opening would have to be cut in which to mount the machine compartment so that air could be circulated over the components thereof to dissipate the heat extracted from the food. Not only was this an antiquated and complicated installation process, but there were additional problems which arose in shipping, receiving, and handling.

It was apparent that there was a need for a built-in freezer or refrigerator of improved and simplified design so that it would function and operate in a superior man- :ner and yet be sufficiently easy to install so that a do-ityourself artisan could make the installation without difficulty. For the first time, a built-in refrigerating unit, because of our invention, is now available to satisfy this need. It may be built completely within a wall with only the front exposed; it may be mounted partially within a wall as the need or design of the kitchen and house dictates; or it may be mounted as a free standing unit in 'ice the open as other conventional units. It operates in a superior manner and with the same degree of efliciency regardless of the type of installation, whether it be mounted completely within a wall or is utilized as a free standing unit. Heat is extracted from the food which is stored within the cabinet and is transferred to the exterior of the cabinet into the room ambient air with optimum performance characteristics.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a refrigerating apparatus of an improved nature which may be enclosed completely within a wall or utilized as a free standing unit.

Another object is to provide an improved air circulation means for a refrigerating apparatus.

Yet another object is to provide a unitary structure with integral air circulation means, a machine compartment, and a food storage compartment all within a single cabinet.

Still another object is to provide an improved air circulation means for a built-in refrigerating apparatus with an inlet opening or openings at the top front thereof and the exit openings at the bottom front thereof.

Yet another object is to provide an improved air circulation means which utilizes the extracted heat to increase performance characteristics.

Yet another object is to provide an improved air circulation means which utilizes the heat extracted from the food within the unit to prevent sweating on the outer surfaces of the cabinet and particularly around the door and front access opening.

Still another object is to provide a built-in refrigerating apparatus which may be installed simply and economically.

A further object is to provide a refrigerating apparatus with an integral machine compartment which may be serviced either from the front or the rear.

Still another object of our invention is to provide a unit which is simple in design, has improved operating characteristics, and may be easily handled, shipped, installed and serviced.

The cabinet which houses this integral refrigeration unit is rectangular and has a front access opening therein and a hinged door to cover the opening. The food compartment is surrounded by insulated walls. Within the cabinet and exterior the insulated walls at the top rear thereof is the machine compartment which houses the compressor, the condenser, and the air movement means. On the top, rear and bottom are facing Walls which are spaced from the insulated walls to provide a continuous air passage-way from the inlet opening at the top front of the cabinet through the machine compartment and out the air outlet opening at the bottom front of the cabinet. The air for dissipating the heat from the components in the machine compartment enters and leaves the cabinet at the front above and below the front access cover respectively. It is thus apparent that the unit may be installed flush within a wall without affecting the superior operating characteristics in transferring the heat from within the cabinet to the room ambient air. It is also to be noted that the inlet opening is at the top of the cabinet and that the outlet opening is extremely remote therefrom and is located at the bottom of the cabinet. This prevents any possibility of recirculation of air through the machine compartment and, in addition, because the air exiting through the outlet opening is warm, it will rise over the front access cover and prevent any sweating which may normally occur.

This refrigeration apparatus which encompasses our invention is practical, useful, efficient, and convenient.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the refrigerating apparatus showing the cabinet with the door partially cutaway, the food storage compartment, the air inlet opening, the air outlet openings, and the components in the machine compartment.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the refrigerating cabinet encompassing our invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IlIIII of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line IVIV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the machine compartment and air circulation means with the back facing wall of the cabinet removed.

Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the air movement means taken on line VII-VII of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective cutaway view showing the structure of the top air circulation means at the junction and entrance into the machine compartment through the condenser.

The numeral 10 designates a refrigerating apparatus which may be a freezer, a refrigerator, or a combination of the two. The apparatus is enclosed by an outer shell 11 and has insulated walls 12 around and defining a food storage compartment 13. An opening 14 provides access to the interior of the food storage compartment and may be sealed by a hinged insulated door 15. The machine compartment 16 is located exterior the insulated walls 12 and within the outer shell 11 at the top rear portion of the apparatus 10. The refrigeration system employed to remove the heat from the food stored within the food storage compartment 13 is a conventional mechanical one being composed of a condenser 17, a compressor 18, and an evaporator or cooling coils within the food storage compartment 13, all of which are properly connected by conduits, are evacuated, charged with a refrigerant and hermetically sealed. The heat from within the food storage compartment is dissipated to the room ambient air by the condenser 17 and the circulation of air through and around it. This necessary air circulation may be provided by a power source 19 and a blower wheel 20 within a scroll 21, as shown in Figure 5, or it may be provided by a blade-type fan which is another type of forced air circulation, or if the design of the condenser is suitable natural air currents may provide sufficient circulation for the dissipation of the heat to the room ambient air.

The cabinet 22 has an inner liner 23 and an outer shell 11, as previously stated, with thermal insulation 24 therebetween. At the top, rear, and bottom of the cabinet 22 are intermediate walls 25, 26, and 27 respectively which, with the inner liner, contain the insulation in those areas specified and are in spaced relation to the outer shell 11. Likewise, the machine compartment 16 is located at the top rear portion of the cabinet 22 between the intermediate walls and the outer shell 11 and extends the entire width of the cabinet 22.

A vertical panel 28 extends from the intermediate wall to the top of the outer shell 11, thus providing a front partition for the machine compartment 16 with the exception of an opening 29 at one end thereof. The top intermediate wall 25 tapers downwardly and rearwardly as defined by a triangular panel member 30 which is adjacent and further defines the enlarged opening 29. A plurality of openings 31 are provided in the cabinet 22 across the entire front thereof and above the door 15. These openings 31 provide air inlets to the chamber 32 between the top of the outer shell 11 and the top inter mediate wall 25. This chamber 32 extends substantially the entire width of the cabinet and from the front thereof rearwardly to the vertical panel 28.

The machine compartment 16 is located at the top rear of the cabinet 22 between the intermediate walls and the outer shell 11. The condenser 17 is located adjacent the opening 29 and is surrounded by a shroud 33 so that no air may bypass it. The compressor 18 is in horizontal spaced relation to the condenser so that the air next circulates around it. At the end of the machine compartment 16 opposite the condenser is located an air movement means 34 which consists of a blower wheel 20 within a scroll 21 with a motor 35 rotating the blower wheel. The air movement means 34 is so constructed and arranged that air passes over the motor 35 to cool it, into the scroll 21, and is impelled downwardly through an exit opening 36 in the machine compartment at the side opposite the condenser 17. The machine compartment 16 is sealed with the outer shell 11 across the entire back at 37 with the exception of the opening 36 just described.

Communicating with and extending vertically down ward from the exit opening 36 is an air passage column defined by the outer shell 11 and a stepped in portion 38 in the rear intermediate wall 26. The column 39 extends from the machine compartment to the bottom of the cabinet 22. An air cavity 40 is provided over the entire back surface between the outer shell 11 and the rear intermediate wall 26 with the cavity 40 being in communication with the column 39 throughout its entire vertical length. A plurality of embossments 41 in the back wall 42 of the outer shell 11 abut the rear intermediate wall 26 to prevent collapse of the walls.

When installed the refrigerating apparatus 10 may be provided with a bottom exterior wall 43 in vertical spaced relation below the intermediate wall 27. The chamber 44 is in communication with the cavity 40 throughout substantially the entire width of the cabinet 22 and is provided with a grille 45 along the front thereof with openings 46 in it. These air outlet openings are located below the door 15 and extend substantially the entire width of the cabinet 22.

In operation air enters at the top of the door 15 through the openings 31 and is drawn between the top of the outer shell 11 and the intermediate wall 25 through the enlarged opening 29 as shown by arrows 47. Because of the shroud 33 and its arrangement in conjunction with the condenser 17, all air is directed through the condenser so that the heat which is extracted from the food stored within the refrigerating apparatus 10 is dis sipated into the air. In sequence, the air, as shown by arrows 47, is then drawn around the compressor cooling it, over the fan motor 35, into the scroll 21 which has an enlarged exit opening 36 both in width and depth as compared to other portions of the scroll 21. The air is then forced downwardly through the column 39 and throughout the air cavity 40 to the lower portion of the cabinet 22 where it circulates forwardly below the bottom intermediate wall 27 and exits through the openings 46 in the grill 45. Since the air is warm, having picked up the heat in the condenser 17 and in the machine compartment, it rises when it is discharged into the room ambient air. As it rises along the front of the cabinet it warms the exterior surface of the door 15 sufficiently so that it does not sweat. It is not unusual in refrigerator and freezer construction to place heater wires around the access opening 14 and in the door itself to prevent the condensation of moisture on these exterior surfaces. By our invention, in addition to the many advantages and superior operating characteristics provided, the power consumption is reduced by this air circulation arrangement and efficiency is increased. It is also to be noted that by bringing the air in at the top of the cabinet, it is much freer from dirt and lint than by bringing the air into the cabinet at the bottom should the refrigerating apparatus be positioned on the floor. The novelty of this feature cannot be over emphasized because it is a well known fact that in prior art structures in which air is drawn through the machine compartment from the floor or adjacent the floor it is not uncommon for the condenser to become clogged with the result that it must be cleaned periodically for elficient performance. It is also to be noted that if the air were drawn inwardly at the bottom of the cabinet 22 and the Warm air discharged from the top of the cabinet 22 that the warm air discharged from the cabinet would not flow over the exterior surface of thr door 15 and around the front access opening 14 to prevent the condensation of moisture on these surfaces.

To install this refrigerating apparatus which inciudes our invention, it is only necessary to place it within a recess in a Wall and plug it in to an electrical power source. Since the air enters at the front of the cabinet and is discharged at the front of the cabinet, a unit may be mounted flush in a wall in one operation without the necessity of providing a separate installation for the components which are included in the machine com rtrnent 16. The top and sides of the cabinet 22 are fin..hcd surfaces and the unit may be utilized as a free standing appliance or at any position from a flush installation to a free standing use as the situation dictates without deviation in top performance characteristics.

The machine compartment 16 is accessible from either the front or the rear. To service any of the components within the machine compartment from the front, it is only necessary to lower the shelf 48 and remove panels 49 and 50 and the insulation 51 therebetween. The condenser 17, the compressor 18, and the air movement means 34 may all then be removed from the front for any servicing which is necessary. If the unit is utilized as a free standing device, simply remove the back wall 42, and all components within the machine compartment 16 are then easily accessible and may be completely removed for servicing or replacement.

It is, of course, understood that modifications of the present structure may be made without departing from the invention disclosed. It is therefore our intention that the scope of the present invention be limited solely by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a built-in refrigeration unit, a cabinet comprising an inner open front insulated refrigerated compartment and an outer shell extending about said compartment defining therewith a top air inlet chamber extending the full width and the major portion of the depth of said compartment, a rear upper machine compartment extending substantially the full width of said refrigerated eompart ment and of materially less extent than the latter from front to back, a bottom air outlet chamber and an air passage at the back of said refrigerated compartment extending substantially the full width thereof and opening from the bottom of said machine compartment into said air outlet chamber; a closure door for said refrigerated compartment; said air inlet chamber having an opening into said machine compartment at one end thereof and being otherwise closed thereto; a condenser adjacent said one end of said machine compartment between the latter and said opening; an air impeller in and adjacent the other end of said machine compartment discharging into said air passage; and a compressor in said machine compartment between said condenser and impeller; said air inlet chamber having front inlet openings above said door in proximity thereto and said air outlet chamber having front outlet openings below and in proximity to said door.

2. In a built-in refrigeration unit, a cabinet comprising an inner insulated refrigerated compartment substantially rectangular in plan having a front opening and a closure door therefor, the upper portion of said compartment being olf-set forwardly from the rear thereof providing a substantially L-shaped recess extending from the top of said compartment and substantially the full Width thereof, the extent of said recess from front to back thereof being materially less than the extent of the top of said compartment from front to back of the latter, an outer shell extending about said compartment defining with said recess a machine compartment closed at its top and back, said shell defining with said refrigerated compartment an air inlet chamber and an air outlet chamber respectively overlying and underlying said compartment and an air passage at the back of said refrigerated compartment extending the full width thereof antl opening from the bottom of said machine compartment into said air outlet cham ber, said machine compartment extending lengthwise sub stantially the full width of said refrigerated compartment, a partition extending from the front of said machine compartment to the top of said air inlet chamber and having an opening into one end of said machine compartment, the latter being otherwise closed to said air inlet chamber, a condenser adjacent said one end of said machine compartment between the latter and said opening, an air impeller in and adjacent the other end of said machine compartment discharging into said air passage, and a compressor in said machine compartment between said condenser and air impeller, said air inlet chamber having front inlet openings above said door in proximity thereto and said air outlet chamber having front outlet openings below and in proximity to said door.

3. In a built-in refrigeration unit, a cabinet comprising an inner insulated refrigerated compartment substantially rectangular in plan having a front opening and a closure door therefor, the upper portion of said compartment being off-set forwardly from the rear thereof providing a substantially L-shaped recess extending from the top of said compartment and substantially the full width thereof, the extent of said recess from front to back thereof being materially less than the extent of the top of said compartment from front to back of the latter, an outer shell extending about said compartment defining with said recess a machine compartment closed at its top and back. said shell defining with said refrigerated compartment an air inlet chamber and an air outlet chamber respectively overlying and underlying said compartment and an air passage at the back of said refrigerated compartment extending the full width thereof and opening from the bottom of said machine compartment into said air outlet chamber, said machine compartment extending lengthwise substantially the full width of said refrigerated compartment, one rear corner of said refrigerated compartment being stepped inwardly from the bottom of said machine compartment to the top of said air outlet chamber providing a corner air passage of materially greater cross area than said back air passage and opening into the latter for the full height thereof, a partition extending from the front of said machine compartment to the top of said air inlet chamber and having an opening into one end of said machine compartment, the latter being otherwise closed to said air inlet chamber, a condenser adiacent said one end of said machine compartment be tween the latter and said opening, an air impeller in and adjacent the other end of said machine compartment discharging into said corner air passage, and a compressor in said machine compartment between said condenser and air impeller, said air inlet chamber having front inlet openings above said door in proximity thereto and said air outlet chamber having front outlet openings below and in proximity to said door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,781,536 Brown Nov. 11, 1930 2,067,504 Richard Jan. 12, 1937 2,177,072 Kuenzli Oct. 24, 1939 2,644,320 Janos is July 7, 1953 2,706,387 Swanson Apr. 19, 1955 2,807,154 Broscnius et al Sept. 24, 1957 

